What...? You're crazy Gisela, how dare you ask the stranger if he wants to accompany you, it's too obvious that he has problems and I have them too, yet here I am like a stupid waiting for the stranger to be the prince of the story.
I shake my head and push away the thoughts from my imprudent consciousness, for now I don't need him to scold me, although he has put me in my place, as I now know what I need to do. "Do you think you could be in danger?" he says in a worried tone, alarming me with his good intentions towards me, I feel like he is not a man who would try to hurt me. "No..." I quickly shake my head, "what I mean is that there is no need for you to stay here any longer, I also have something urgent to do, so goodbye" I stutter, and before I can stop it, my cheeks start to burn and I turn around with a bit of discretion. "Again, thank you, although you didn't have to worry about me." "Hey, wait... please" I ignore his insistent call and like a crazy person, I climb the stairs to enter the building. In just a few minutes, that man will forget my face and everything related to me. I slap myself and, even though I seem crazy, it's better that I concentrate on what really matters. Entering the building, I stop in front of the elevator, and after waiting... I regret it and decide to take the stairs, it's not that hard to get to the third floor. Phew... I feel like I've never climbed stairs before, bless the habit of taking the elevator. I stop in front of the apartment, hurry to take the key out of my purse. God, I try to hurry, my mother can call me at any moment, she needs the money to pay. Finding the key, I bring it straight to the lock and enter. "Good evening, Lucero, I'm back," I raise my voice while closing the door, "are you here?" Apparently, no one is in the room, but to clear up any doubts, I run to her room. I cross my fingers hoping she's still in the room. I knock twice on the door and then open it. "I'm sorry for not answering you, but I have a special dinner and I have to hurry," she says, agitated and desperate, walking from one place to another. "By the way, can I know if someone came to accompany you inside the cafeteria or..." "What?" I furrow my brow, "but what are you talking about." "Nobody, now tell me what brings you here or don't tell me you accepted my boss's proposal," she stops abruptly and as if her eyes were lit up, she comes towards me, "you know that all your problems can disappear completely, hey... I like you a lot, I want to help you, but you know I can't, I won't be with you all the time, I'm getting married soon and..." "Shhh... I need you to help me now," I bring my index finger to her lips, making her be quiet. "My father is not well, he needs money to pay for the clinic, medicine, and food, please, I'll give you all the money I have saved, I just need you to transfer it, there's no time, I can't wait until tomorrow, please, Lucero" as I remember that my father may die, my eyes cloud over and my voice weakens. "Please, I have the money, I'll give it to you," I insist, bringing both hands to hers. "Relax, you don't have to cry, I promise I'll help you," she consoles me with a hug, "now give me the account number. You're absolutely right, they need to pay where they are." I nod and quickly pull out my phone. I have screenshots of the account number saved on it. As if my soul had returned to my body, I hand her my unlocked phone with the image of the account where the money will be sent. She takes it and rushes to her desk next to the entrance. She sits down and her hands hurriedly open her laptop. "I want you to send five thousand euros," I say. "What?" she widens her eyes. "I had savings; my monthly expenses, food, rent, the return ticket, and what I had saved for December and... Please, they need the money, besides, I don't know if that's enough for them." "Well, I want to yell at you, but I know it will go in one ear and out the other," she grumbles, annoyed, but that's the least of our worries now. "It's just unfair that you're left with no euros, but I can't do anything about it. I want to see you crying when they ask you for more money again... Okay, you can call your mom and tell her the money is in her account, it was quick since I made sure it didn't take more than seventy-two hours." "Oh my God, thank you so much," I let out the breath I was holding, "I'll go get the money," I run towards the exit and head to my room. "No, I want you to wait," I stop as I'm about to leave. "You can give me the money tomorrow because I don't have time now. And tomorrow when I come back, I want you to talk to your pillow and ask if you should marry someone for the money your parents need. It's time for you to stop being naive and start thinking that today it's the heart, tomorrow it's the colon, then medicine, then food, then more medicine, and so on. Do you think they'll wait for your payment or that someone will lend you money without charging you?" "Yeah, and do you think the only solution to my problems is marrying a stranger?" I swallow hard, although she's right, I try to stay firm. "I want to help you, but you won't let me. I don't know why you don't want to. I'm trying to show you the way out of all your problems, but you keep insisting that you can do it on your own," she hits the table, then puts both hands on her face. "This is your last chance, then another girl will take your place." "Do you want me to sell myself for money?" "That's enough. Tomorrow is the final decision and my money too," she gets up, frustrated with the conversation. "You can go now, I need to finish getting ready, oh, you can take your phone, I don't have time anymore." She's angry and she's right. It's even possible that marrying the man is the only way out of all my problems. No... But what am I saying? I can't sell myself for a couple of euros. Yes, I'm a woman in need, but I can't stoop to the level of committing fraud, I don't want to. I thank her even though she doesn't want to see me, but it's not easy to get married, let alone commit the fraud she wants me to. I'm heading towards the desk, grab my phone and before she can throw a brush at my head, it's better if I lock myself in my room. Well... now that I think about it, I owe her rent and I don't feel capable of asking her for food while I'm here. Worry takes hold of me, and it's inevitable because I have responsibilities, and if I keep going like this, I might end up on the streets, and then I won't be able to help my parents. I enter my room, drop my bag on the couch, and dial my mom's number. "Mom, thank God you answered. I've already sent you the money, there's no problem for you to pay for dad's medicine and food." "Thank you, my girl. I'm going to the bank now. I hope I'm not making things difficult for you, and I hope you don't have any problems with the monthly rent you always send us. Remember, my love, that this money is for your father's health, and with the rent money, I pay for the household expenses. Sorry, I have to go. I'll call you tomorrow, my girl." "Goodbye, mom," I hiss, lowering the phone until I become hypnotized, looking at it. "She just told me I have to send her the rent," I feel a lump in my throat, the urge to cry present itself until I fall to my knees on the carpet. Where will I get the money for the rent? My paycheck hasn't come yet, everything is out of whack. What am I going to do? I thought my mother could do something with the money I just sent her. No, no, no, I can't handle this pressure. The first option that presents itself to me is to rob a bank, for God's sake, what am I thinking? I don't have to pawn, sell, or... marry Lucero's boss! No, it's completely crazy to think that, I can't accept it after being desperate, it's too unfair. My parents deserve many things, but apparently the job I have isn't enough. desperation+Omniscient narrator+ For a moment, Adal Müller felt relieved upon hearing from his secretary that the girl he had recommended had accepted and was only waiting for him to indicate the time and place for them to talk and plan their contract marriage. One thing was on his mind - he could use the girl who would be his wife for special events, all for appearances, but he couldn't consider her his true wife. If there was one thing he was clear about with arranged marriages, it was that emotions would eventually ruin it. Adal took a big sip of his whisky as he pondered the pros and cons of the marriage until he suddenly came up with a couple of ideas to establish it in the contract. Without saying a word to his secretary, he went straight to his desk, got comfortable, and quickly took a pen to write down the main rules to maintain absolute control of the contract. A girl who has no feelings for him, who has no sexual desires, who does not fall in love, who always remembers that everythi
"Yes, I want to apologize for being late. It's not an excuse, but I had to ask for permission from my job and..." She trailed off as she realized she was rambling. "Please, sit down. Would you like some coffee? Tea?" He asked in a nervous tone. "Water, please," she pleaded, having run too much. "You can get comfortable on the couch, and we'll move to the table later." Gisela nodded, walked in that direction, and elegantly sat down on the cushioned couch, crossing her legs. The silky red fabric rose a little, offering Adal a good view of her smooth, athletic legs, or at least that's what her body showed to any pair of eyes trying to delight in them. "Snacks?" He asked politely, trying to be cordial. "No, thank you," she shook her head. "Are you sure?" Adal insisted, trying to be a gentleman. "Yes." Totally perplexed by the woman he didn't want to have any physical contact with, he started to bring her a glass of water. They looked at each other for a moment, letting the silen
+Gisela+ It took me a long time to decide, my pillow didn't let me think much, since it came to my mind that my grandmother will need more money for my father and his needs. Lucero's words kept going through my mind until I hit rock bottom and felt that my only way out was to sell my life to the devil, to that old man who would get me out of all my problems. However, I never imagined that the person I was waiting for was the same person I crashed into in front of the café. I remember perfectly what I said before she left the apartment; I told her that I would marry her boss, that I had no choice but to sell my dignity because I have nothing. Desperation has driven me to make that drastic decision. Her response was that everything I do is out of the love I feel for my parents, showing that I am capable of anything to not leave them on the street. Today, while at work, I received a sudden call from Lucero, telling me that my meeting would be today and that I could not make excuses or
I grabbed the pen and immediately signed the damn contract; at this point, it's useless to make things difficult for myself. "Okay, it's signed. Now, can you tell me what comes next?" I slid the document and pen to his side. "I expect a copy of this document, as I don't want to deal with a fraudster or someone who wants to harm me." "What?" He opens his eyes wide. "That must be a joke. I would never hurt you or deceive you. Remember, this is a business deal, and you can't tell anyone about it except for my secretary, who recommended you." "My intentions are not to offend you. I just want to be straightforward." "Yes, that's direct. I don't know what indirect is," he babbles. "What did you say?" "Nothing," he shakes his head. "The next step is that I'll give you this card, so you can send me messages. You'll receive information about everything we'll do from now on." "Perfect. If you need another meeting, please schedule it after work, as I doubt they'll give me permission to le
"I know now!" he exclaims after snapping his fingers. "I'll let you go with my secretary. Why is he trying to be nice?" This time it's not bad to accept, I want to talk to Lucero, I'm afraid of the next step and the lies I have to tell to achieve the damn marriage. He wants me to quit because I can embarrass him or ruin the plans. Oh, I want to scream because I got into this out of desperation for not having money, for sending everything to my parents and having the expenses here consume me. The relationship I am creating with this man is very peculiar, although it can be said that it is a business and that everything will soon end. Yes, this is what I wanted, to have the money to help my parents, to obtain economic stability and thus I can go to my place. Yes, it's not a bad idea to return to where I was born, with the money he gives me, I may live well for a while, all while I find a job or there is also the possibility of going on vacation. "Yes, it's a good idea, I need to ta
"My boss is a man of principles and unintentionally I have heard that my boss has a huge penis, I can even assure you that it must be up to his knee," she closes her eyes while biting her lower lip. My eyes pop out of their sockets to the point that my mouth is open with a little drool, simply because my imaginative side has already captured it. I am not a saint, so that morbid imagination excites me. "You're exaggerating," I give her a pat on the arm, taking the liberty of having more confidence with her. "If I weren't committed, I wouldn't hesitate to accept the deal, but it wouldn't be for money, I would propose that he give me a night of passion," she purrs near my ear. She's a pervert! "Sometimes I feel like his body is screaming for a daring woman to want to possess him, to leave him on cloud nine," she bites her lower lip. "Do you want to be with him?" "No, I can't, but don't worry, I occasionally betray my sweetheart in my dreams, and that's why I'm asking you to be brave
"Yes, mother, I kept it so hidden that now I have to bring it to light. I wanted a little time because relationships take time, but oh well, now it's time to introduce her to the whole world." "In that case, I'll catch up. Today, I have all the time for you. I'm going out with my friends right now, and they'll all help me with the organization and everything since there's no time, my love." "I like that, mother," I give her a kiss on the cheek to say goodbye. "Don't hesitate to tell me the details," I wink at her, walk away from her, and before asking more questions, I leave. "Alfonso, take care of my son and make sure the lawyer doesn't have any tricks up his sleeve. I'm sure he'll try to find a way to trap us in the will, all to make us lose everything that belongs to us." "Understood, Mrs. Müller," Alfonso responds while nodding. My mother leaves the office with a smile from ear to ear. I don't like lying to her, but in this case, I couldn't avoid it. I resume walking, head t
"Is it over? No, the party hasn't ended yet, and don't worry about your clothes. I'll send them to the dry cleaner tomorrow. But before that, can I see your room? I don't mean to be disrespectful, I just want to know a little bit more about you." "Why?" "Because I'm interested in you, Gisela. I need to know your likes and dislikes, and you need to know mine." The last word makes a knot in my throat. "Okay, maybe next time. I can see that Lucero intimidates you. I just noticed that a moment ago. Don't be angry with her. From the time I've known her, I can say that you're the first woman she's had a conversation with that's more than just work-related." "I know. Sometimes I act selfishly, and that leads me to loneliness, trying to push away people who want to help me." "Do you know what I did when the two of you were in the kitchen?" he asks, and I shake my head. "I apologized to that gentleman. I couldn't confess to him what I proposed to Lucero because it's a secret that few of u